ADVERTISING: A Bongo for the Congo

In the Belgian Congo last week, the most
popular record was a song called Klim Abikisi Mwana. In their beehive
huts, natives played it on their ancient, hand-cranked phonographs,
clapping their hands gleefully to its calypso-like rhythm. Although the
average Bantu laborer makes only about 50¢ a day, the record was so
popular that some 15,000 had already been sold at $1.10 each.

Nobody was happier at the song's success than George M. McCoy, executive
vice president of Borden Food Products Co., makers of Klim, a powdered
whole milk. On a visit to Leopoldville two years ago, McCoy noticed
that,...